Sheet-control mechanism



1,493,167 B. D. STEVENS SHEET CONTROL MECHANISM Filed March 25 1922 f@ .'mar j vin the press,

.plane Patent May 192..

jnu'RT D. sTEvnNs, or EvANsTON, ILLINOIS, AssreNon To MIE'HLE PRINTING a MANUFACTURING COMPANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or ILLINOIS.

snaar-CONTROL mECnaNIsm.

Application leimarch 25, 1922. Serial No. 546,717.

To all whom t may concern.:

Be it known that I, BURT\D. STEVENS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Evanston, in the county of Cook and State of illinois, haveinvented Certain new and useful improvements in Sheet-Control Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to printing presses and more particularly to sheet control mechanism forming a part thereof.

The separation of sheet material in the stock pile and the control of such sheet material prior to the time it is fed progressively isa problem which has been given considerable thought and is of great importance. The question of accessibility and convenience of the various parts of a printing press also is of great importance.

Accordingly, one object of this invention is to provide simple, eiicient and reliable sheet separating means in which the top sheets in the -pile are floated and given a lsnap-like bending action for facilitating separation and, at the same time, maintain thelioating sheets in positive control with the -minimum number of adjustments.

Another object of the invention is `to position the floating sheets so that the latter may be 'fed orwardly 'in an accurate manner.

Another object is to provide sheet separating andcontrol mechanism which may be arranged accessibly and in a manner to meet all of the requirements for successful commercial use.

These and other objects are accomplished by means of the arrangement disclosed on .the accompanying sheets of drawings, in

which- Figure 1 is a fragmentary top plan viewV of stock pile sheet control mechanism embodyingA my invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary of such control mechanism;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken in the of line 3-3 of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a detail perspective view of an front elevation i air jet tube formingl a part of the sheet separating mechanism; and

Figure 5 is aperspective view of a clamp for one of the sheet control members.

The various novel features vof the invention will be ap arent from-the following description and rawin larly pointed out in e appended claims.

s, and will be particu- Referring to the figures of the drawings,

it will be noted that my invention is illus- 4trated in connection with a printing press ,-1

sheet stock pile 10 mounted upon any sultable table 11 which preferably is raisedby any suitable mechanism, (not shown) in accordance with the rate at which sheets are removed from the vtop of the pile. For guidedly maintaining the pile in a predetermined position pile guides 12, which are secured to any suitable support 18, are mounted at corners of the'stock pile, it being understood that the table 11 with its pile 10 moves guidedly ,in a vertical direction and the pile moves between and within said pile guides 12. rlhe pile guides 12 are adjustably mounted on the table 13 to accommodate,

sheets of all sizes within the range of the press. ln. this connection it will. be noted that the table 13 is provided with elongated slots 13a in which bolts 12, secured to pile guidesgl2, are slidably mounted. rlhese pile guides 12 include flanges lli'and 15 which are arranged at an angle with respect` to each other and at their upper ends are separated by an open space for the reception of the jet tubes 16 and a portion of the supporting brackets 17 therefor. Each supporting bracket in this particular instance is providedvwith an ear 18 having an elongated slot 19 therein whereby said bracket may be adjustably secured to one of the flanges 14 of the pile guides by means of a screw 20.

jet .tubes is provided with a vertically arranged slot 22 which preferably is pointed to an associated corner of the stock ile whereby a blast of air may be directed into and between the top sheets of material in the stock pile for separating and, it might be said, floating such top sheets. AAs shown,

Vsuch jet tubes 16 are arrangedl atthe two forward corners of thel stock pile so that two separate jets of air are directed intoand between the top group. of sheets -in the stock j e pile. Accordingly a relatively lar e lm of air is directed y were retainin means not Yprov1ded, the top sheet especially would oat out of position in Aan uncontrolled manner.

However, to prevent such uncontrolled ,oating movement ofthe' top sheet, me

etweer such tops eets, and

- forward corners of the stock pile and cooperate in performing the function above mentioned. These wire loop members 23 'also perform another function in that' when feed grippers, not shown, engage the top 16 sheet of paper to lift and carry the latter away from the stock pile, such top sheet, if iexible, is caused to bend at its forward corners to cause such forward corners 24 of the top sheet temporarily "to remain in check b the wire loops 23 as said top sheet is lifte away from the pile. Such bending action insures the separation of the top sheet from the second sheet in the event that a second sheet adhered to the top sheet.

25 As shown, the resilient or wire loop members 23 extenddiagonally over the corners ofitheupile in an upward land inward direction wltlre ct thereto, and are held in such position y a clamp member 28 whichi 3Q `is-secured to the supporting bracket 17 inv any suitable manner, such as by a screw 25. To accurately position the wire loop-member 23 on the support and in the clamp 28 the latter is provided with grooves '26.

36 These spring loop members need no adjustment for their action is compensatory. In ex lanation of such statement, attention is ca led to the fact that when very thinpaper is being fed, the spring members 23 are not 40 required to yield. If a thicker but still fairly iiexible paper is used, both the paper and spring members 23 will yield. If card board is used, such will yield very little, ifnan in which event the spring members 16 will o all of the yielding.

y As the to sheet ofmaterial is iloatably raised, it a so is fed slightly .to the right, as shown in Figure 1, by a member 27 which extends upwardly, inwardly and over` one olcorner of the stock pile. By thus guidedly forcing the top sheet of paper to one side against the side flange 15 of the proper ile uide 12 when said sheet is caused to flbat y the jets of air, such top sheet is accurately placed in a position to facilitate the registering of said sheet when the latter is. fed rogressively in the printing press. Prefera ly suchmember 27 1s in the form of 'a bent wire and is secured. to one of the I se supports 17. This arrangement is provided to compensate for sheets trimmed accurately.

Attention is called to the fact that the jet tubes 16, control loop paper holding wires which are not w 23 and the guide member 27 are all carried theater by their associated suppert member 17 each of which is carried by a ile guide 12 and arranged in an accessib e manner at all times.

Furthermore, whenthe pile guides 12 are' adjusted to accommodate paper of different sizes, the jet tubes 16, s ring loops 23 and guide members 27 areal shifted with the pile guides and require no separate adjustment themselves.

It is my intention to cover all modifications of the invention falling within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

I claim;

1. In stock pile sheet control mechanism, the combination of means for separatin a top sheet from a second sheet of materia in the pile, and means extending over said top sheet to prevent its accidental displacement, said means being yieldable in accordance with the relative stiffness of the sheet material being fed.

2. In stock pile control mechanism, .the combination of means for separating a top sheet from a second sheet of material in the pile, and means extendin over said top ico 4. In stock -pile sheet control mechanism,

the combination of means for -directin a jet of .air between sheets of materia in the pile, and yieldable means for. limiting lthe vertical movement of the top-sheet to prevent its accidental displacement.

5. In stock pile sheet control mechanism, the combination of means for separating a top sheet from a second sheet of material in the ile, and yieldable means extendin over said top sheet to prevent its accident displacement.

6. In stock pile sheet control mechanism, the combination of means for separatin .a top sheet from a vsecond sheet of material in the pile, and means extending over such top sheet and yieldably engagin the top sheet for preventing its accidenta displacement.

7. In stock pile sheet control mechanism, the combination lof means for directing a jet of air between sheets of material in the pile, a yieldable member extending over the top sheet for limiting the vertical movement thereof tao/prevent its accidental displacement.

8. In stock pile sheet control mechanism, the combination of means for directing a jet 'fao sheets of material in `the pile,

the combination 'of means -to nasale? of airl between vsheets of material in the pile', and a wire loop member for yieldably engaging the top .sheet to prevent its accidental displacement.

9. In stock pile sheet control mechanism, the combination of a supporting member, an air jet member carried by said support member for directing a jet of air between sheets of material in the pile, and means associated with said jet and carried by said support arranged to revent the top sheet from-being accidenta 1y displaced.

10.A In stock pile sheet control mechanism, the combination of a supporting member, a jet member carried by; said supporting member and by which a /jet of air may be directed between sheets of material in the pile, and a yieldable member for limiting vertical movement of the top sheet to prevent its accidental displacement.

11. In stock pile sheet control mechanism, the combination of a ile guide, a supporting member carried t ereby, a jet member carried b said supporting mem er and by which'a Jet of a'ir may be directed between and a retaining member carried by said supporting member for limiting vertical movement of the top sheet of material to prevent its accidental displacement.

12. In stock piley sheet control mechanism, the combination of means for Hoating the Y top v.sheet of material; and means for limiting the vertical movement of said Heating sheet to prevent its accidental displacement.

13. In stock pile sheet "control mechanism, for Heating the sheet of material, and means for yieldab y engaging sa`d Heating sheet to prevent its acci entaldisplacement.

151.v In stock p` e-sheet control mechanism,

' the combination of means for Hoating the top sheet of material, means for limiting the vertical movement of said sheet to prevent its accidental displacement, and means for directing said sheet to one side for facilitating the register thereof.

15. 4In stock pile sheet control mechanism, the combination of means for directing a jet l'ec of air between sheets of material in the pi e, means for limiting the vertical movement of the top sheet to prevent its accidental displacement, and means for directing the lateral movement of said sheet to facilitate vregistration thereof.

.16; In 'stock pile sheet control mechanism,

thecombination of a support, means carried by said support for directing a jet of air between sh'eets of material in the pile, means carried by said support for limiting vertical movement of `the top sheet to prevent its accidental displacement, and means carried by said support for directing the movement of said sheet in one direction to facilitate registration of the latter.

17. In stock pile sheet control mechanism, the combination of a support, a pile guide adjustably mounted thereon, an air jet carried by said pile uide,"and means for preventing the top s veet of paper being. accidentally dis laced alsp carried by said pile uide where y when said pile guide is ad- ]usted to accommodate sheet material of said air jet and said different dimensions,

means move with said cile guide and require no separate adjustment. 18. In stock pile sheet control mechanism,

the combination of a support, a pile guide adjustably mounted thereonto accommodate sheet material of different dimensions, andpaper, control means carried by said pile ide whereby when said pile guide is adjglilsted said .control means also is moved` and requires no separate adjustment.

Si ed at Chicago, Illinois, this 2nd day of arch, 1922., j

` .@:z D. STEVENS. 

